Kathryn Barrett-Gaines: When is the year of the woman? Not just yet

7:53 PM,
Nov. 15, 2012

Written by

Kathryn Barrett-Gaines

Contrary to recent headlines, the year of the woman has not yet begun.

While we have elected record numbers of women, the proportions do not match the population. Twenty women will sit in the U.S. Senate, but that is only 20 percent. Of the 434 members of the House of Representatives, only 77 are women, a mere 18 percent.

The need for, and lack of, women in elected office is so incredibly overlooked that we actually think that these numbers are something to celebrate. These numbers do not excite me; they alarm me. Our representatives are far from representative. We need at least 52 women in the U.S. ...